August 30, 2024
“Whoever loves me will keep my word. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.”
Jackson grooming Izzy
It is not easy to adapt to new circumstances, not for humans or canines. It has been four full months since we adopted Izzy, who will be seven in September, and Jackson, who will be six in September. Izzy’s previous owner referred to her as a grumpy old lady. She is certainly more cautious and less cuddly than Jackson, but grumpy? I think not. Jackson is a fluffy ball of affectionate energy without an introverted bone in his body. Izzy is OK with baths, and Jackson acts like I am going to drown him. Dogs, like people, have their own preferences and tastes.
Their previous owner sent along Halo Holistic salmon dry dog food, which they promptly stopped eating at our house. I tried adding cottage cheese, peanut butter, canned dog food and grated cheese. They daintily scarfed up the additions and left the dry food behind. I tried Honest Kitchen dehydrated food which Kiko loved. They turned up their noses and walked away. Since they don’t seem to like the “good stuff” I randomly picked out a bag of dry small bite dog food for adult dogs at Walmart. They lick their bowls clean at breakfast and dinner.
They’ve found their favorite places to be in the family room, living room, dining room and upstairs bedrooms. They are down with their morning routine of coming into the powder room, sitting while I give Izzy her medication, then greedily devour the probiotic chews that come after. They know how to grab our attention for a pat on the head by staring into our eyes with their tails wagging. That is almost too adorable to ignore. Most amazing of all, when it is time for bed, all I need to do is say “Crate” and they charge into bed. If only our children had been so easy! They have made their home with us, primarily because of the routines of food, walks, yard time, nap time then repeat. It is a sweet fitting into our home even as we have found ways to fit in with them.
Routines and habits create a sense of home, of regularity, in our lives. It gives me pause to ponder what routines and habits create a sense of “home” in my spiritual life. There is the email daily meditation that I read. There is the Walter Brueggemann daily devotion that Rod and I share over breakfast. There is prayer before we eat, and making sure that we’ve provided a tithe for the church before we pay any other bills. And when I take the dogs for our morning walk, there is the Pray as You Go podcast that is the first thing I listen to. There are moments throughout the day when a prayer need comes to my attention – and I attend to it. There are moments of heart stopping beauty in nature, and tear-producing fits of laughter that Anne Lamott calls carbonated joy. The last thing I do after laying my head on the pillow for sleep is a series of deep inhalations and exhalations that correspond to naming God and giving thanks for the blessings of the day as I feel myself settling into the mattress as I imagine God supporting me.
John Dryden, England’s first Poet Laureate (1630-1700) wrote, “We first make our habits, then our habits make us.” He’s got that right.
What are your habits making you?
Anne
Wayfinding 